IllustrationTHE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON ITS OWN WITHOUT ANY SPECIFIC TRAUMA. I HAD IT REPLACED AT THE DEALERSHIP.
2018 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than the model-year median of 207.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Outback years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
3130–25K
13625–50K
2850–75K
875–100K
2100–150K
1150K+
488 reports with mileage · 323 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 265 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 233 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
27 crash reports4 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
811 reportsWINDSHIELD CRACKED AT THE BASE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE. CRACK OCCURRED WHILE PARKED AFTER NO (OR NO NOTICEABLE) IMPACT. CRACK EXPANDED QUICKLY OVER SEVERAL DAYS. HIGHLY UNUSUAL.
JANUARY 27, 2020 I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH ON NJ HWY 29 TO MY SON'S HOME. SMALL ROCK HIT WINDSHIELD AND MADE A SMALL CRACK, LESS THAN 1 INCH. I CALLED INSURANCE WHO WOULD SEND A MOBILE REPAIR TRUCK TO REPAIR IT ONSITE AT MY SON'S HOUSE. AS I WAS DRIVING, THE CRACK GETTING BIGGER. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT MY SON'S, 45 MI…
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JANUARY 27, 2020 I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH ON NJ HWY 29 TO MY SON'S HOME. SMALL ROCK HIT WINDSHIELD AND MADE A SMALL CRACK, LESS THAN 1 INCH. I CALLED INSURANCE WHO WOULD SEND A MOBILE REPAIR TRUCK TO REPAIR IT ONSITE AT MY SON'S HOUSE. AS I WAS DRIVING, THE CRACK GETTING BIGGER. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT MY SON'S, 45 MINUTES LATER, THE CRACK WAS MORE THAN 7 INCHES LONG AND WIDENING AND GROWING HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY. THE CRACK SO SO BIG. THE INSURANCE REP SAID MOBILE GLASS REPAIR COULD NOT REPAIR IT BECAUSE IT WAS SO BIG. I HAD TO BRING IT IN FOR A WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT AND RECALIBRATION. I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR. WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED ON JANUARY 29, 2020 AT SAFELITE AUTO GLASS IN EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ THE TOTAL COST FOR WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT AND RECALIBRATION WAS $1,011.23.
PURCHASED SUBARU IN 2019 AND NOT EVEN TWO WEEKS AFTER OWNING FOUND THE WINDOW HAD A CRACK STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD GOING UP AND THEN THE WIDTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. I DID NOT SEE OR HEAR ANY ITEMS THAT WOULD HAVE CRACKED MY WINDSHIELD AND WAS NOT DRIVING WHEN IT CRACKED IN MY DRIVEWAY.
ON ROUTE 6 WAS TRAVELING BEHIND A TRUCK AND HAD ROAD DEBRIS THROWN AT THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING PUTTING AND ONE WITH SPIDER CRACKS RADIATING FROM IT.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON ON JULY 25,2019. PULLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND HEADED DOWN THE STREET WHEN IT WAS STARTING TO CRACK. TOKE A PICTURE WHEN I GOT TO WORK. FIRST TIME IN OVER 40 YEARS OF DRIVING TO EVER HAVE A WINDSHIELD CRACK.
MY CAR WAS PURCHASED IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. WITHIN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS A CRACK APPEARED ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE WINDSHIELD. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER ANOTHER CRACK APPEARED IN THE BOTTOM MIDDLE OF MY WINDSHIELD. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS A SMALL CRACK ON THE DRIVER SIDE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. NONE OF THESE WERE CAUSED BY ANY OBJECTS…
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MY CAR WAS PURCHASED IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. WITHIN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS A CRACK APPEARED ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE WINDSHIELD. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER ANOTHER CRACK APPEARED IN THE BOTTOM MIDDLE OF MY WINDSHIELD. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS A SMALL CRACK ON THE DRIVER SIDE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. NONE OF THESE WERE CAUSED BY ANY OBJECTS THAT I OBSERVED HITTING THE WINDSHIELD, BUT MAYBE A SMALLER ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AT SOME POINT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.
MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF LIMITED USE. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING, NOR DID ANYTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD. AS OF LATE, OTHER CRACKS HAVE STARTED TO FORM AND GROW ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THEY ARE SO SEVERE, THAT I MUST REPLACE THE ENTIRE GLASS AS IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION OTHERWISE. I HAVE HEARD OT…
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MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF LIMITED USE. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING, NOR DID ANYTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD. AS OF LATE, OTHER CRACKS HAVE STARTED TO FORM AND GROW ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THEY ARE SO SEVERE, THAT I MUST REPLACE THE ENTIRE GLASS AS IT WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION OTHERWISE. I HAVE HEARD OTHER CLAIMS FROM SUBARU OWNERS AND WISH THAT THE MANUFACTURER WOULD FINALLY RECALL THE FAULTY PRODUCT AND SUPPLY US WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHEN PARKED IN DRIVEWAY
BATTERY CONSISTENTLY DRAINS AND CAR WILL NOT START. BATTERY IS NEW, REPLACED IN 2020. CAR HAS BEEN PARKED FOR LESS THAN 12 HOURS WHEN IT WILL NOT START. CAR HAS BEEN JUMPED, TAKEN TO DEALER WHO STATE "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT", THEN WITHIN 1-4 DAYS USUALLY HAPPENS AGAIN. HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE 10/03/2020.
Official recalls
321V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Jul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
18V935000 · Visibility:rearview Mirrors/devices
Dec 31, 2018
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Legacy, Outback, and BRZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, a software issue may cause the audio display system to not initialize, resulting in the camera display remaining blank. If this occurs, the rearview image will not display while backing up the vehicle. As a result, the vehicles fail to comply with requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.
Remedy: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the audio system display software, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTZ-85.
18V773000 · Electrical System:software; Fuel System, Gasoline
Nov 1, 2018
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.